Tribeca resident Charles Komanoff arrived at the Barnes & Noble opening night Tuesday with a file folder of book reviews — some as old as 10 years — of books that piqued his curiosity.
Leaving his son Alexander, a fourth grader at P.S. 150, in the kids section of the bookstore at Greenwich and Warren Sts., he went on a methodical search for books he wanted to buy. He found four novels on his list, not so lucky with the three history books, and was 0 for 2 for graphic novels.
“We’re getting more books in,” said the manager, Amy Fizgerald. “We have a very large children’s section and this store has the largest Barnes & Noble DVD selection.” The store is on the second floor across from the new Bed Bath & Beyond that also just opened.
Alexander found four books he wanted and in the end, Charles got $186 worth of books (also using discount and gift certificates). Ten percent of the sales at the grand opening went to P.S. 150 and other nearby schools: P.S. 234, P.S. 89 and I.S. 89. The schools will receive the donation in the form of books.
At the event itself, the kids section was teeming. Children perused the shelves and settled in where they could to read. Many a parent sprawled on the floor with them.
Adults without kids were spotted in the history or travel section or looking for the crafts section. One Tribeca resident was overheard saying that this store is on her walk home from work and she plans to stop in a lot. Students from Stuyvesant High were there too.
Mini-burgers and skewered beef, along with spring rolls and dumplings, and oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies kept the crowd fueled to shop and greet neighbors, while a deejay played world beat music. Curious George was a hit too.
One Beach St. resident with his third grade daughter at P.S. 234 carried just a small purchase as he left but was supremely happy with the store’s presence. “This store fills a gap in this neighborhood,” he said.
